


To Steal A Heart

by heavenasunder



Category: Harvest Moon DS Cute
Genre: Crushes, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Temporarily Unrequited Love, aka my city now, liberty taken with characterization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-23 09:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14329290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavenasunder/pseuds/heavenasunder
Summary: The Phantom Thief has stolen enough. Now it's someone's turn to steal his heart.





	1. Chapter 1

When Rock had woken up that morning to his mother’s worried face, he knew today was a day he should have stayed in bed. Ruby wrung her hands, standing next her husband as Rock came downstairs, Nami sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of them. When Rock had asked what was wrong, his mother had shown him the note, signed by the Phantom Thief himself, and Rock decided, yes, he should have stayed in bed. 

“What should we do?” Ruby asked, looking to her husband. Tim shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he said, and Rock answered before he could think.

“I’ll stop him,” he’d blurted, and his parents looked at him wearily. He tried to stand a little taller, and hide the heat in his face.

“I mean, you guys hide outside. I’ll get the jump on him when he comes in, and then when he tries to escape, you surprise him outside,” he clarified. Tim looked at Ruby.

“That’s not a bad idea,” he conceded. Ruby nodded.

“I suppose it could work. What else can we do?”

Night came too quickly, and Rock kicked his foot against the counter impatiently. The guy was a thief, but couldn’t he be on time too? Rock supposed he shouldn’t be the one to judge, considering he hadn’t been on time for something in his whole life. That being said, the night wore on, and it allowed his mind to wander. He thought of the last time the Phantom Thief Skye had pulled a heist in this peaceful valley. Rock had been walking home from the bar, when suddenly a flash of silver caught his eye. Skye froze as Rock turned to him, and they were frozen for a moment, eyes locked. Shouting from a distance broke them both from it, and Skye simply winked at him, before taking off once again. Rock had been kicking himself for a month, thinking he should have been able to catch him, only an arms distance away. When that face started to appear in his dreams, Rock knew he had to be the one to catch the thief.

The room was completely dark, but Rock could feel eyes on him, and he turned around, catching silver out of his peripherals. Skye froze, and for a minute, seemed surprised before a calm facade took over his features.

“Well, well,” he sang, “a welcoming party? Not much of a celebration, I see.” Rock puffed up.

“I’m here to stop you,” he said, and Skye rolled his eyes.

“Yes. yes, I assumed,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “And exactly what are you going to do, hm?” Rock grit his teeth.

“You’ve stolen too much from this valley,” he started, “and now, I”m going to steal something from you.” This seemed to pique Skye’s interest, and he moved a step closer. Rock tried to disguise the rapid beating of his heart. 

“Oh? And what is that,” he said, lips quirking into a smile. Rock took a deep breath.

“Phantom Thief Skye, I’m going to steal your heart!” Rock claimed, pointing to Skye’s chest.

“One more time?” Skye asked amicably, his smile not moving from his lips. Rock tried not to waver. That night, the first night he had seen Skye, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. In just a few moments, Skye had stolen his heart, a ridiculous thing, but Rock was going to get his payback.

“I”m going to make you fall in love with me,” Rock said, lifting his chin in defiance. Skye’s smile was gone as fast as it came.

“That’s what I thought you meant,” he said with a sigh. “What can I do to make you completely abandon that idea?” Rock stood his ground.

“Nothing,” he replied. Skye stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Rock did his best not to fidget. 

“Well,” Skye finally said. “Do your worst.” He disappeared into the darkness, and Rock let out a breath.

_I plan to _, he thought. He leaned against the counter for a moment, trying to calm his heart. He wondered what his parents would think if they knew about this. They always seemed to have their own idea of who he should be. A hard worker who would marry a girl, have a couple children, and settle down like they did. But it just wasn’t him. It wasn’t for him. He was never sure what exactly he wanted, and hadn’t been until he had seen Skye’s hair shine under the streetlights. He didn’t want a wife, he wanted Skye. And maybe this was crazy, but the beaten path had never been for him anyway.  
He left the foyer of the inn to find his parents. There was plenty of planning to be done.__


	2. Chapter 2

Rock sat at the Goddess Pond, skipping rocks, and wondering if his heart would ever stop pounding. It had been days since his last meeting with the Phantom Thief and he hadn’t stopped thinking about it. Skye had seemed so cold, and he would be lying if he said it hadn’t deterred him. Not that he thought stealing the thief’s heart would be easy, and he hadn’t known what to expect from getting it out there, but in a case of him never thinking things through, he felt just a bit like an idiot. Maybe he should have been a bit more subtle, but that had never been his way. Head first, or not at all.

He contemplated his next move, but realistically, he didn’t know much about Skye. Throwing a pebble a bit too hard he heard his mother’s voice scold him. “It’s a silly infatuation. You can’t possibly love someone you don’t even know.” He always hated that his more sensible side always sounded like his parents. It wasn’t a silly infatuation though. He had never felt something so strong. There was a story his parents told him when he was young, about how a red thread connecting those who were bound to each other, and when he had first seen Skye, he felt it tug at him. There had to be something in that. 

“If I thought you were capable of it, I’d say you’re deep in thought,” came a voice from behind him. Rock jumped up, dusting himself off and turning to the voice. Skye stood in front of him, his eyebrows knit together in annoyance, and Rock fought for words.

“What are you doing out so late? Won’t your parents worry?” he went on. Rock crossed his arms.

“I’m an adult, I can do what I want,” he said. Skye brushed his silver hair out of his eyes.

“Sounds like something a kid would say,” he replied. Plopping down on the ground, he sighed. Rock’s heart was racing and he wasn’t sure what to do. 

“You’re not here to steal?” he asked. Skye looked up at him.

“Even a thief needs a break,” he said, winking. Rock was sure that if he did that one more time his heart would stop altogether. He sat beside Skye, keeping a respectable distant, lest he scare the man off. That thought nearly made him laugh. He couldn’t imagine Skye being scared of anything. 

They sat in awkward silence as Rock tried his best to think of anything to say. Skye didn’t seem bothered. He just watched the water ripple in the pond. Time passed, and Rock still found himself tongue tied. Finally, Skye regarded him, and Rock was sure he would crumble under those clever eyes.

“For someone set on stealing my heart, you’re off to a bad start,” Skye said. Rock pulled up a handful of grass.

“Give me a break, I’m new to this,” he grumbled. Skye chuckled, and Rock’s face heated.

“Your first crush, huh?” Skye smiled. “Give it up. It’s not going to get to me.”

“Shut up. I said I’m going to steal your heart, and I mean it,” Rock said. Skye’s face was suddenly stony. He got to his feet, and looked down his nose at Rock.

“First of all, you’re an insult to the subtle art of wooing to begin with. Second of all, you’re wasting your time. I have no heart for you to steal,” Skye said, voice cold. Rock set his jaw. 

“We’ll see,” he said. Skye stared at him a moment before rolling his eyes. He turned to walk away and then stopped.

“I like curry,” he said, and Rock sat, confused.

“What?”

“You want to get someone to fall for you you give them things. Presents. I like curry,” Skye said over his shoulder. “Do with that what you will.” He walked down the path, and Rock watched him go. Releasing a long breath, he laid back, staring up at the stars.

“Curry, huh?”  
\---

Ruby was surprised when Rock suddenly took an interest in cooking, but she didn’t argue. Maybe her son was starting to grow up a little.

Rock’s first attempt at curry was inedible, but his family choked it down anyway, not wanting to deter him. He didn’t know how to tell them that nothing was going to deter him. He had to get this curry perfect. By his fifth attempt, it was finally safe for human consumption, and he was oddly proud of it. Not quite up to giving to Skye, but he was getting there.

By the time his curry was to his standards, his family was all but begging for anything to eat besides curry. Anonymous notes had been left all over the inn. Rock figured it was now or never.

He loaded up a bowl, placing a plate over top to keep it warm, and made his way to the Goddess Pond. He didn’t even know if Skye would be there, but a hopeful voice in his heart guided him on. 

When he got to the pond, he was alone. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but again, he wasn’t one to think things through. He placed the curry to the side, sighed and brought his knees up to his chest, crossing his arms over them and ducking his head. It was silly to think this would get to Skye in the first place. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but eventually his arms ached and the dew from the grass had wet his pants. He let out a long breath and started to stand.

“This isn’t bad,” Skye said from beside him. Rock nearly lost his balance and fell into the pond. The other man was sitting beside him, curry half-eaten as he stared up at him.

“Not spicy enough, though. Work on that,” Skye went on. Rock sat back down, gaping at the thief. Skye carefully ignored him, as he continued to eat. Frogs sang somewhere in the distance, and fireflies danced to the tune. Skye batted one away from his food. 

“You seem surprised.”

“You came,” Rock finally said.

“I’m here almost every night. Don’t take it personally,” Skye said around his last bite. Rock quirked an eyebrow.

“Why here?”

“Why?” Skye repeated wistfully. For a moment Rock thought he might say something, but Skye just smiled ruefully. 

“No, I don’t think we’re nearly close enough for you to ask me that,” he said. He stood, casting one last look at the pond. 

“Thanks for the curry,” he said, and disappeared into the dark. Rock sat there beside the empty bowl. It wasn’t love, not yet, but he couldn’t help but think something had changed tonight.

He picked up the bowl, looking out across where Skye had left. 

Spicier next time. He would remember that.


	3. Chapter 3

Rock leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting for his rice to cook. It had been a week since his first gift of curry, and since then he’d shown up every night at the Goddess Pond to gift it to Skye. They hadn’t spoken more than a few words, outside of Skye’s constant criticism of his cooking, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the other man to open up. He sighed. Maybe it was naive, but he figured if he could get the curry perfect, then maybe Skye would have no choice but to talk about something else. Then they could spend the night talking, laugh, relate, and eventually he would fall for him. Rock laughed sadly; it really was naive.

Ruby was quiet as she entered, and Rock smiled at her once she noticed her presence. She leaned next to him on the counter, her plump hands folded in front of her.

“Really set on this curry aren’t you?” she asked. Rock flinched. He’d stopped forcing his family to eat it, but it couldn’t possibly escape their notice that he was still fixed on cooking it daily.

“Just want to get it perfect,” he replied, not quite a lie. There was no way his parents would understand if he told them the truth.

“So who exactly’s caught your interest so much that you took up cooking?” Ruby probed. Rock looked to her, stunned. She smiled knowingly.

“Rock, I’ve been your mother your whole life, and you are not a subtle young man,” she said. “So who’s the lucky girl that stole your heart?” Rock did his best not to look away as she said “girl.” The assumption bothered him, but he realized that up until a few weeks ago he was Forget-Me-Not’s self-proclaimed lady’s man. Would she be okay if she knew it wasn’t a girl? Would she be okay if she knew it was _Skye? ___

__“Well, I mean, not really a girl...” he said. Ruby blinked once._ _

__“Boy then?” she asked so casually it nearly knocked Rock over._ _

__“Y-yeah,” he admitted. Ruby nodded._ _

__“And who is it?” she asked. “Hopefully not that Kai boy from Mineral Town. He’s trouble, I tell you.” Rock nearly laughed at that. If only she knew how much trouble his real infatuation was._ _

__“No, Mom, it’s not Kai,” he assured her. “He’s not from the Valley, you don’t know him.”_ _

__“Okay, dear,” Ruby said, letting the subject, thankfully, fall. “I wish you all the luck, honey.” Rock looked down at his feet._ _

__“Thanks, mom.”_ _

__“Oh, but one more thing,” she said, and slipped something into his hands. Rock looked at it, a small shaker labeled “Ruby Spice.” He looked up at his mom, to see her smiling._ _

__“How I got your father,” she said with a wink. Rock felt tears at the edges of his eyes. Ruby left the kitchen as quietly as she came. Rock struggled for a moment to pull himself back together._ _

__This curry was going to be perfect.  
\---_ _

__Rock watched in anticipation as Skye took the first bite. The change in him was subtle, a relaxation in his posture as he savored it, closing his eyes. He caught himself almost immediately, glancing over to Rock who was grinning like a fool._ _

__“Good right?” he asked. Skye knit his brows together._ _

__“Shut up, it means nothing,” he said around another bite. Rock leaned back on his hands._ _

__“Come on, you can at least say you like it,” he laughed, too high on the success to be bothered by Skye’s coldness._ _

__“Fine,” Skye conceded with a sigh. “I like it. What of it?” Rock just shrugged._ _

__“I don’t know. At the moment, I’m just glad you like it.” There was a silence between them as Skye finished the curry. He didn’t leave immediately after he finished, laying the dishware off to the side and laying back in the grass, his hands behind his head._ _

__“Hey,” Skye said suddenly, startling Rock out of whatever thoughts he’d been having._ _

__“Yeah?”_ _

__“You’ve never told me your name,” Skye said, almost softly. Rock turned red._ _

__“Huh, guess I didn’t,” he muttered._ _

__“Not a good start to an attempted heart-theft,” Skye said with a smirk. Rock played with the hem of his pants._ _

__“I’m Rock,” he said. Skye sat up, and caught his eye. Rock wished it didn’t make his heart race, being under his gaze like that._ _

__“There’s almost something funny about that, if I could find the joke,” Skye said._ _

__“What?”_ _

__“Y’know, Rock and Skye? Earth and air or whatever,” Skye waved a hand irritably. “Can’t quite find the pun in that, but it’s there.”_ _

__“I’ll give you points for effort,” Rock offered, and Skye actually laughed._ _

__“You just realize that makes us opposites, right? Can you possibly take this as a sign that your crush is doomed to fail?” Skye asked, a smile still in his voice. Rock shook his head._ _

__“No,” he said. Skye sighed._ _

__“It is. Doomed to fail, I mean. You might as well back out now before you get hurt,” he went on flipping his hair off his shoulder. Rock followed the movement with his eyes._ _

__“Who’s going to hurt me, you?” he asked._ _

__“I’m not going to fall for you,”Skye reiterated. “I already told you, I have no heart for you to steal.”_ _

__“I think you’re full of it.” Rock’s statement actually made Skye stop. He looked the other man over._ _

__“I can’t decide if you’re the most stubborn man I’ve ever met, or just the stupidest,” Skye said. “But if you’re set on it, then don’t blame me when it all comes back to bite you.” He stood, and Rock followed him up. Skye regarded him for a moment, before tucking a stray golden hair behind Rock’s ear. The contact made Rock burn, and Skye chuckled softly as he turned away._ _

__“Definitely the stupidest,” he said, and then he was gone. Once he was gone, it occurred to Rock that he had stopped breathing. With a deep inhale, he placed his hand to his ear, and thought about Skye’s soft hands. Maybe he was stupid for thinking this could be something, but the hammering of his heart wouldn’t allow him another path._ _

__He stayed at the Goddess Pond until the sun rose, sending golden hues across the valley. Rock looked to the horizon, earth and sky meeting at the place were the sun spilled over, and smiled._ _

__“Earth and air, huh?” he said._ _

__Maybe they just needed to find their horizon._ _


	4. Chapter 4

Rock woke the next afternoon, far past two, groggy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d watched the sunrise, and the quiet sleepy part of him wished that Skye had stuck around too. The memory of his fingers brushing against his face was bright in his mind, and his chest ached with the longing of it. He wanted more. To touch, to kiss, to hold Skye and hear him laugh. Just in the few times they’d met, he’d simply fallen harder and harder for the other man, and it was hard to realize that Skye felt none of it. Although it felt as though Skye was warming up to him, there had been little heart-stealing. 

_Just have to find our horizon._  That was what Rock had thought, and he believed it. There had to be a place where they met in the middle. Some common ground they could find. He needed to know more about Skye outside of the Phantom Thief persona. He was a person deep down, and possibly a good one at that. Rock just needed to sift away the rest of it.

He pulled himself out of bed. No use sitting idly by when there was plans to be made and curry to cook. He thought he’d try a different recipe today. Pony had helpfully given him her Ultimate Curry recipe after finding out from Ruby that he’d been trying to cook. It seemed difficult, but he’d gotten the others down pat, so maybe it was time to try something new. He dressed for the day, brushing his teeth and his hair before rolling up his sleeves to get to work.

* * *

 

“It’s just that it’s been a while,” Tim was saying outside of the kitchen. Rock did his best to cook and eavesdrop simultaneously. “The Phantom Thief was on a roll for so long, and then he just stops? I don’t know. Just makes me nervous.”

“Maybe he found something better to do,” Ruby offered. “Perhaps he turned over a new leaf?”

“Bah, thieves never change,” Tim grunted. “He’s up to something, I tell you.”

Rock went back to his curry. It had been since Rock had started his quest to steal Skye’s heart that he’d gone and robbed anyone in the valley for their belongings. He wasn’t sure which of his parents were right, but he hoped it was Ruby.  Skye, he was sure was capable of doing good, of  _being_ good. He didn’t know what had led Skye to being a thief, but if he’d stayed away for so long, he knew there must be something in him that didn’t want to live this life.

By the time he had finished his dish, it was nightfall. Ruby and Tim had retired for the night as he snuck out. He was nearly out of the inn, when a shock of red hair stopped him in his path.

“Oh, hey Nami,” he said. Nami regarded him inscrutably.

“You’re off to see that thief again?” she asked. Rock felt his face go as red as Nami’s hair.

“What? No! What thief? I don’t know--”

“It’s okay. I’m not going to tell anyone,” Nami interrupted. “I just...I don’t know. Be careful. I guess.”

“I’m careful.”

“Are you? You obviously care about him. Does he feel the same?” 

“I--” Rock started, stopped, swallowed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Nami lowered her eyebrows, looking almost soft for a moment.

“Be careful,” she added once more, and went upstairs to her room. 

Rock’s heart hammered, and he ignored the wet tear that ran from his eye. He wiped it away with his shoulder. It hurt to admit that Skye didn’t care about him. It was embarrassing to be caught by Nami, to have her feel sorry for him. The scent of his perfect curry wafted up to him, and he shook it off. He had a mission. It didn’t matter if he didn’t have Skye’s heart now. He would.

* * *

 

“So what else do you like?” Rock asked Skye as he took his third bite. Skye hadn’t said so, but the curry was good. He’d barely said anything since sitting down, and his mom always said, if the food was good, there was no time for conversation. It was easy to see though, the way Skye savored it.

“I like to cook,” Skye offered after a moment. He seemed thoughtful. “I’ve actually been trying to perfect my curry. I prefer cooking it to eating it, if I’m honest.”

Rock liked when Skye was honest. It had been rare over the month or so they’d been talking, but he could always tell. 

“I could give you some pointers sometime,” Rock offered with a smile.

“Don’t get cocky,” Skye laughed and there was no venom in his voice. For once, he seemed genuinely relaxed. He finished his curry and leaned back into the grass.

“Hey,” he said, after Rock was sure he wouldn’t speak again. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you believe in the Harvest Goddess?”

“Yeah,” Rock admitted.

“Sometimes I come here and it’s...I don’t know warmer than everywhere else, but not the temperature, you know?” Skye said, and Rock thought he saw pink spreading across Skye’s cheeks. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around Skye being embarrassed.

“Yeah, I do know,” Rock said and he did. The pond had magic to it. Sometimes he swore he heard laughing from the trees here, like joy overflowed from the whole area. He looked across the gentle water, across the fireflies that had just started to come to life. They were like constellations come to earth.

When he looked back at Skye, Skye was staring at him. His gaze was soft, but curious. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, what? I don’t have dirt on my face, right?” Rock asked, self-conscious. Skye laughed, soft and melodious. Like silver bells.

“You’re just...”

“Just?”

“Just...Forget it,” Skye said, suddenly irritated. He rose and Rock rose with him.

“No wait, I’m sorry,” he said. Skye huffed out a breath.

“Sorry for what?”

“I don’t know, whatever I said that upset you,” Rock explained, flustered.

“I’m not upset.”

“You seem upset,” Rock pressed. Skye deflated.

“You’re just way too sweet to be falling for a guy like me,” Skye finally finished. 

“I think you’re sweeter than you let on,” Rock pressed. He believed that too. He’d seen it in Skye’s eyes when he’d let go of his smooth persona and let himself be honest. Had seen it in the way he humored one of Rock’s lame jokes as he ate whatever subpar curry Rock had brought in the beginning. Seen it in the way he watched fireflies at the pond, and watched for snails and frogs before sitting down. He didn’t know how to tell Skye any of this though. He just leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Skye’s cheek. 

His thoughts were just a second behind him and as he pulled back, panic seized his chest for a moment, before Skye caught his arm, brought him back in and kissed him proper.

Rock hadn’t had many kisses in his life, but he could say without a doubt that this one had been the best. It was chaste, soft and only lasted a moment before Skye pulled away, keeping him close enough to look him in the eye. Rock could smell the musk of his cologne, a fresh scent, could smell curry powder and the damp earth beneath their feet. Skye’s eyes were the most piercing blue, and he felt lost in them. 

“Don’t count this as winning,” Skye said softly. “I just wanted to know what that would be like.” Rock was too enamored to care about that.

“And your score?” he asked, his face splitting into a smile. Even Skye couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Be better next time,” he said, and Rock’s heart soared.

_Next time._

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted to my blog 3dayturnips
> 
> Unedited so all mistakes are mine.


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